Your Nessie
by psyche620
Summary: Watch Nessie as she grows up in a house full of vampires. She has to deal with the fact that she will never be just normal, the fact that true love has already been chosen for her, and the stuff that everyone has to deal with growing up. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

I Own nothing, it all belongs to the genius mind of Stephenie Meyer

Enjoy!

Life can be a real pain. Since my second hour on earth I knew I was special. I learn things fast, I grow fast, I tend to see things in strange ways. And that's just the least crazy stuff about me. I haven't even touched on the fact that I can show other people my thoughts, my father can read minds, my mother can shield herself and others, and I'm half vampire. Yah, so I guess you can say I lead a pretty strange life. I am six years old, even though I'm technically the size of a 16-year old and have the brain of someone who has done nothing but read for a hundred years.

My brain is a common topic of conversation in my family. Just the other day I got into a conversation with my uncle Jasper that lasted hours. In the last couple months I have grown very close to my uncle Jasper. He seems so calm, but he actually really enjoys discussing history, and debating about events in history. As I've grown I have gotten more and more into reading everything I can about a specific topic at a time. For instance, I recently spent weeks trying to learn everything I possibly could about the civil war. I spent days on the floor of Carlisle's study, pouring through every book that had information about the time. The first time I did this, (I was 4 and grew a sudden interest in the Crusades), my family worried that something was wrong with me. After several episodes of this however, my family became used to it, and occasionally a member of my family would come in to join me if they had a particular interest in what I was researching. This time, it was Jasper. On my second day in Carlisle's study he came in and sat down on the floor with me. Without saying word, he picked up a book, and read through it. Whenever he came to a section of interest he would point it out to me. We remained like this for days, until we ran out of all the civil war books in the house. I would have normally gone to a library to get more books, but Jasper soon began asking me what I thought about the time period. And so began what my family called, "the great debate". Jasper and I would spend hours at a time arguing about the events of the civil war, and the moral principles behind the people who started it. Periodically, my mother, father, and Jacob would come into Jasper's study to listen to us argue. I knew that if I asked, my father would have researched or debated with me in an instant, but he knows that this is one of the ways I connect to my family members, and he understands enough to keep his distance when need be. But he always watches from afar as I debate; glowing with pride at what he calls my "natural skill to make someone regret every word they have ever said". To an outsider this may seem strange, but I guess I am really good at turning whatever points my opponent makes to make them look bad. Occasionally when I do so I can hear my enthusiastic uncle laughing from another room of the house. It always makes my father smile wider. My mother just stands there, extremely observant, like she is absorbing every move I make, trying to commit it to memory. She always remains quiet, but I know that she is constantly listening. When Jacob comes in, he just sits there with a huge grin on his face, staring at me. Sometimes it is disconcerting, but most of the time it just makes my heart beat faster than it's already abnormally fast speed. This of course is the reason for all my current problems.

Since I was born I knew that Jacob was something special to me. He brightened my whole day, making even the dreariest of situations feel like a bright blue sky was shining overhead. He is my sun, moon and sky. I feel lost if I spend more than 24 hours without him. Of course, I did not fully learn what this had meant until around the age of 1 and a half, (I looked like I was 8 to the outside world). At first it seemed so obvious to me. The imprinting emotion was so real and omnipresent in my mind, that it took me some time to fully comprehend the implications behind it. After a few minutes of expectant stares from my family, I finally sensed what they were saying. As I said a short, "oh", my father looked like he was torn between laughing and growling. I spent a few moments letting my thoughts run wild, and I have often wondered what he had to endure listening to me think. The truth is, I was torn between being stunned and pushing it off like it was no big deal. I had grown up with Jake. He was special to me, beyond doubt, and it seemed like nothing could matter more. He was always there for me no matter what I needed or wanted. The very thought of him being hurt made me feel like my heart was being tortured with the pointiest icicles known to man. This is the way things had been my whole life. So the idea of what our future would hold should not have surprised me in the slightest bit. But still a tiny part of me felt shocked to know that we were meant to end up together in that way.

You have to understand, I never really thought much about romance. I mean, I'm not completely naïve. I spend time in the same house as Emmett and Rosalie, there is no way I could have any misinterpretations about love. I have seen the way my parents look at each other, I understand. But I never really thought about being in love, in a romantic way. I suppose the fact that I could never see anything other than Jake had something to do with that, but I never needed him for anything other than a big brother or uncle, so I never thought of it that way. So when my parents told me I wasn't upset. I suppose I thought that it would always be Jake anyways, but since I had never thought of him that way, it took me a little by surprise. The whole idea settled with me after a short while and everything went back to normal again. Less than a year later, to a human, I would have looked around 12. It was then that I started thinking about the idea of romance again.

I am not unobservant. In fact, I am considered to be quite the opposite. I have noticed everything about the people around me since I was an infant. So I realized what was going on when my parents would send me off with one of my aunts or uncles while they stayed in the cottage in the woods. I knew what it meant when my parents would quickly shuffle me out of the house as one of the other couples in the family walked up to their room. But I wondered. Would it be like that with me and Jake? What was romance really all about? So I went to the bookstore. I suppose the instinctual part of me knew it was smart to do this when my parents were out of the house, but I didn't actively think about hiding anything from them. However, I left for the bookstore when they were on a day trip in Seattle, and I'm glad now that I did. When I got to the bookstore I picked up what I thought would help educate me in my pursuit for finding the meaning of romance. I picked up a new copy of Romeo and Juliet, a new copy of Pride and Prejudice, (My mother's copies were so old and worn from so much use and I love new book smell so I figured I might as well get new copies), Four novels by Danielle Steel and two novels by Nora Roberts, (I had heard that these two authors were head in the romance industry). I went home and went straight up to my room in the main house. I closed the door tight so that it was more difficult for sound to get in, and I put on classical music just loud enough that I could only hear things from inside the house. I soon discovered however that these steps were unnecessary. Reading these books completely drew me in. I was entirely engrossed in these passionate tales of love. Five books later I went downstairs to stretch my legs and discover if my parents were home. The scene I discovered was interesting to say the least.

My father was standing in the corner, appearing to look out the window, but actually holding the bridge of his nose and cramming his eyes shut. My mother was leaning on the wall next to him, watching him with wary eyes; as if she was afraid he might snap at any moment. I could hear Carlisle pacing in his study, and Esme was sitting on the couch, looking out the window. Emmett and Jasper were sitting on the floor with amused expressions on their faces, but wary, protective eyes. Alice and Rosalie were sitting opposite them and looked quite the same.

"What's going on?" I asked as soon as I reached the top of the stairs.

Nobody moved. It felt as if they were all waiting for someone else to break the silence. After another moment of silence, I walked over to my mother and brushed my hand across her cheek, hoping that seeing what I was would break her out of her reverie. For a moment I thought it worked when she moved her head to look up at me, but her eyes still held a mixture of sympathy, sadness and concern that I didn't understand. I tried to show her her face and my confusion, but doing so simply made her look down again. I looked around the room. _What did I do?_ I silently asked in my head. I went through the last day in my mind, trying to think of what I could have gone wrong. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my father wince.

I walked over to him, trying to get him to look up at me and look at me. _Please?_ I asked silently. He looked up and I took the opportunity to touch my hand along his cheek, running through my day again, confusion and anxiety radiating in my mind. At the time when I got to the book store and was picking out my books he chuckled darkly, cutting me off.

"You have had quite an interesting day haven't you?" he said in a disapproving tone that I recognized. Only he could manage to sound so tense, yet exhibit such love at the same time.

Suddenly everyone seemed to move again. Emmet and Jasper chuckled. Rosalie and Alice sent me simultaneous wry, knowing grins.

_Are they laughing at me?_ I asked in my thoughts. My father's head immediately shot up, but he just looked at me. I brushed my hand along my mothers face, asking the same question. I could rely on her to answer.

"Of course not" she said, but there seemed to be more she was holding back.

I looked over to my father, who seemed to be having an inner debate. Finally he sighed and said, "Actually, they were laughing at me."

I felt the line in my forehead deepen, showing my confusion. "Why?" I asked.

He seemed reluctant to answer, like he didn't want to be reminded of a bad memory. "Because I've been listening to your thoughts for the past hour and a half" he replied.

I thought over the last hour and a half. I had started Genuine Lies with the wonderfully intermixed tale of fame, loyalty, and love. Before I came downstairs I had left off at chapter 24 when Paul and Julia… "Oh." I said, feeling a blush creep onto my cheeks. Of course he would be listening. I should have thought of that before I bought the books that I knew were going to be cheesy and adult.

Emmett, of course, began laughing exuberantly. "You should have seen his face!" he said in between peals of laughter.

Alice chuckled and said, "You really are a lot like your mother, Nessie. You blush almost as much as she did." It was true. I had a beating heart, and I constantly had some blood in my body, so blushing was one of those annoying human traits I'd inherited. It really got annoying.

My mom snapped loudly at Alice. She knew the blushing thing bothered me, and she understood only too well how I felt, so she always got upset with her siblings when they brought it up.

I felt embarrassed at what my father must have heard me thinking, but I was angry at the same time. "Are you seriously all congregated here because I read a sex scene?"

I knew my anger was probably unjustified, but growing up with the parents that I did there was no way I could have gotten away without acquiring a little bit of a temper.

I could all but feel the whole house wince at my words. Emmett sniggered and whispered quietly to Jasper, "Looks like it's the terrible two's." My father and I growled at him in harmony. Just as I felt my father tense, and get ready to unleash on Emmett, everyone's head turned toward the forest. I heard what they all heard, but a little fainter, for, while my ears were much more advanced than a human's, they didn't hear nearly as far as my full-vampire family's. Once I understood the meaning of the sound, I could feel my blush coming back, and my heart-rate increasing. Just the person I did not want to hear this conversation. The only time in my life that I think I was actually upset by being in his presence.

Jacob.

My father tensed, thinking, I'm sure, that Jake was the cause of my new reading interest. Emmett just started laughing harder, but Rosalie growled and quickly cut off his chuckle. My mother looked at me with sympathetic eyes, thinking I'm sure that now I would have to deal with both my father and Jake. _Great_, I thought, _just what I needed to make my life even better._

I could hear Jake walking up the stairs and whistling a snappy tune. I felt my cheeks grow warm, and I could only imagine what he was going to say, or think. As he walked in the door I knew he could sense the strange atmosphere in the room. He glanced from person to person, finally landing on me, recognizing my embarrassed expression.

"What's going on?" He asked, but in his usual carefree way. "Why is Nessie red as a rose?" I could feel my cheeks inflame even more. I was staring straight at the floor, purposely ignoring his gaze for the first time in my life. He walked over to me and swooped down so his head was at my level.

"Nessie?"

I sighed, reluctantly placing my hand on his cheek. I went through the course of today's events. I would really rather not tell him, but there had never been anything about me that he didn't know before, so I didn't see a point in hiding anything now.

At first his expression remained puzzled, but soon it turned quickly to understanding, horror, and finally something that resembled the face he used when he was trying to hide something. Obviously he didn't want me to know what he was feeling. Suddenly he looked at my dad, sending him appointed look that I knew meant they were having a mental conversation. My father grimaced and said a simple, yet menacing, "You."

I growled impatiently, grabbing his face and sending him thoughts that I hope portrayed to him how I was upset by the fact that I showed him everything yet he wouldn't say this out loud.

He sighed and said, "Edward was just answering my question about what brought on this strange new reading interest."

I groaned. Of course they would make this a bigger issue than it really was. _I'm not a baby, _I said pointedly in my mind.

My father groaned in return. "You're only five years old," he pointed out. I rolled my eyes. The technicality of my age would always be an issue.

I sighed, gathering all my courage in an attempt to pretend that my father was the only person in the room and that my uncles wouldn't tease me about this later. Also to try and pretend that I would have to deal with the extreme embarrassment of talking with Jake about this later as well.

"You can't honestly believe that I'm naïve enough not to wonder what with everything that goes on in this family," I said glancing pointedly at Emmett and Rosalie and then at my mom and dad, making them all look like they would blush if they could.

"Added to that," I said going on, trying to ignore the flames behind my cheeks, "It had nothing to do with Jake." I paused when my father raised an eyebrow. Emmett chuckled.

"Well, maybe a little", I conceded, "But I was really just curious, and it's not like I'm going to talk to you about it."

My mother looked a little hurt, speaking for the first time. "Why not? You can talk to me about anything Nessie."

I looked at her incredulously. "Momma, I didn't think you would feel comfortable giving your five year old daughter a…" I paused looking for the right words.

"Sex talk" my father finished for me with the beginnings of a dark grin on his face.

I blushed. "Well, yeah."

For a short moment everyone's eyes flashed to Jacob. "Well don't mind me," He said with a slightly irritated, slightly amused expression, "I apparently have nothing to do with this."

"Oh Jake don't be stupid," My tone matching his. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but I'm not a child. Mentally," I added when my father was about to interject. "I know you all care about me and it means a lot. But there are some parts of growing up your just going to have to let me do," Everyone cringed this time. I ignored them. "Dad, I'm sorry I caused you mental issues, and I'm sorry if I gave them all a reason to laugh at you. Mom, I'm sorry for making you think I can't talk to you, because I can. I love talking to you. Jasper, I'm sorry for making you have to deal with all of their emotions for the past two hours. Jake… well, just, yeah. Sorry for making you the subject of my father's glare for the rest of eternity. What I am not sorry for is reading what I want when I think I am ready to read it. At this point that is my decision. So I'm sorry for causing you all problems, but now I'm going to go upstairs and finish reading because I was at a very important part of the book." And without a backwards glance, though I could feel them all staring at me and I could feel the blush growing on my face, I went upstairs and finished my book. After words I took three deep breaths and went back downstairs to find everything normal. I suppose they were all just acting, but as long as they didn't bother me about it, I was okay. Of course, I saw Emmett give me some sneers, and Alice gave me a few proud looks, but, other than that, everyone left me alone about anything having to do with my age or romance for around a year. That all stayed true, until about a week ago. That was finally the time that Jacob realized that I wasn't just a kid. The day Jake decided to ask me out on date.


	2. Chapter 2

I own Nothing, it all belongs to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer

Enjoy

Have you ever had a time in life when you felt like you could jump for joy, yet you also feel like your blushing all over? That was one of those moments for me. I was downstairs in the main house, witting on the couch and reading The Merchant of Venice for what must have been the thousandth time. My father was sitting by the piano, playing a song that he had written for me the previous year as a birthday gift. That was the best gift I had ever gotten. Even hearing it then, a year later I still felt a warm, sensation spread throughout my heart, showing me how truly love I was. So that day, I was so lost in my book and the music, that I didn't register at first when my father growled under his breath.

"Dad?" I asked, when he stopped playing. He just continued to look down at the keys of the piano, ignoring me completely, which was new. Finally, after an agonizing few seconds he gently called, "Bella?" My mother appeared quickly at the top of the stairs. She walked down and went immediately to his side, sending him a puzzled look.

"We're going to head back over to the cottage for a little while." My father said with tight lips. My mother continued to look puzzled, but didn't question him. She did however send her eyes quickly to me then back to my father, who shook his head infinitesimally. My mother didn't ask, and simply walked out the front door before I had time to question either of them. I could hear them talking outside and I strained to hear what they were saying as they walked away.

"What's going on?" My mother asked. I could hear the anxiety in her voice: the rest of the family was out for the day and she didn't like leaving me alone.

"Jacob is coming over", my father replied. I didn't understand. This was perfectly normal, why were they leaving?

"Why is that…" I could hear the beginnings of my mother's reply, but they were soon out of hearing range.

I tried to read some more, but quickly found the task impossible and set down my book, playing with my hair. I felt something new, in the pit of my stomach that I recognized as nervousness. _This is so strange_, I remember thinking. _Why should I be nervous, it's just Jacob?_ But I couldn't help feeling restless. Soon I could hear the thud of paws in the woods, followed by the sound of phasing, and someone putting on clothes. I sat back down, trying to look natural, though I'm sure I failed. Soon the front door opened and he walked inside.

"Hey Nessie!" He said, sitting down beside me. I could tell that there was something on his mind, but he was trying to cover it up. He looked around, and I could tell he was trying to figure out if anyone else was in the house.

"They're not here." I said, a slight accusing tone in my voice. " Mom and dad left right before you came for some unknown reason," my eyes narrowed slightly, "And the rest of them have been gone all day." I saw a brief look of understanding cross his face, but he covered it quickly with a brief nod to himself. But then his face brightened up.

"Well cool. Looks like I have you all to myself today without the rest of them here to stink up the house." I chuckled. I could never smell anything bad about either the vampires or the shape-shifters. They both smelled good in different ways to me, although I have to admit that the vampires smelled a little better in my mind. I liked his casual joking. It helped me to forget the fact that there was something bigger going on in his mind. We just chatted for about an hour, when he suddenly turned serious.

"How old are you Nessie?" He asked with an edge to his voice. I could tell his was the conversation he had come here to have.

"Six." I answered automatically, but I realized this wasn't the answer he was looking for.

"That's not what I mean Nessie. Look at you. Physically, how old are you?" I looked down at myself, measuring what I looked like and calculated how old I was supposed to be now.

"I'm a teenager I guess. Fifteen or sixteen." I shrugged it off and wondered what he was getting at.

"Exactly," He said, exasperated. "You **are** a teenager. You should be doing teenager stuff. You spend all your time reading and studying, and I understand that that is what you love to do, but you only get to be a teenager once, and you especially have to make the most of the time you have."

"What do you expect me to do?" I said equally exasperated. "Should I really go out there and interact with the students my age who I've never met, only to become friends with someone and have to leave and never see them again a month later because I am constantly changing? What do you expect me to do?"

He gathered me in his arms. I didn't realize how much I really cared about this. I knew I had thought about it, but only Jake could bring out my true feelings. I felt so scared. Would I really go through my life never really living the things that I should?

"Renesmee. You should use your time and be a teenager. You should act like you feel. If that's rebellion, be rebellious. If that's something else entirely, then go do that. You should have fun, ignore work, be silly and immature, date…" He paused at the word, as if he had not entirely meant to say it. I sat up, pulling my head out of his chest. I looked at him in the eye, trying to gauge what he was feeling, what he meant.

"What are you saying? That I should date different guys just to experience dating? Or…" I trailed off. He seemed to hold an inner debate, trying to decide what to say next. I tried my hardest not to be impatient, knowing I would get his most thought-out answer if I waited.

He started slowly. "If that's going to give you the chance to live your life while you can, then yes." He seemed reluctant to say the words. We both knew why, though it was something we rarely, if ever, discussed. I debated how to answer him best. I couldn't think of words that could best convey my feelings. So I gently laid my hand against his cheek, reveling in the way they fit so perfectly against each other.

I started by showing him a conversation I had had with my mother a few weeks before. She found me in my room, just staring out the window. At the time, I had been thinking about Jake. How nice he was, how striking he was. She walked in and all she had to do was look at my face. She gestured to me to wait, and then went into the other room and asked my father to grab something from the other house. He had been recently trying to keep my mind away, knowing that it felt better when my father didn't know my every thought. My mother helped too when she could, and between the two of them I knew it was rare that he could constantly hear my thoughts, or that he paid attention. So when she asked him to go away, I knew he wouldn't know the conversation that was coming.

My mother walked back into my room and sat down with me on my bed, playing with my hair and saying nothing. After a few moments, she began to speak.

"So when did you first really know?" She asked.

"Forever I guess. But I first really felt something more a few weeks ago. It was like I looked at him for the first time, you know? Like I had never seen something so unbelievably beautiful and kind." I worried that maybe it was too much, that she didn't want to hear all this information, but she just smiled.

"I know what you mean. When I first saw Edward, it was like nothing could ever be the same again. You love him in different ways now, correct?"

I didn't have to think. "Yes."

She sighed and inhaled deeply, as if to calm herself. She took my hand and held it in hers. "Then you tell him so."

I ended the memory, dragging him immediately into another one. I showed him my feelings when I saw him walk toward the house from the forest, the sun illuminating his silhouette. I showed him my feelings when I watched him pluck a flower out of the ground and stick it in my hair. I showed him my feelings when he just held me today, letting me vent my feelings and just being there for me. Then I gently pulled my hand away, still staring into his eyes. We stayed that way, just staring at each other for what seemed like hours. Until finally he pulled me into his lap and gathered me close into a warm hug.

After another immeasurable moment he whispered in my ear with a voice that seemed torn between amusement and anxiety, "So Nessie, want to go on a date?"

Later that day, after Jake had left, I walked home to my parent's cottage. I knew I could have ran and made it there in a fraction of the time, but I needed the walking time to gather my thoughts. After Jake had asked me, we just sat there, me still clinging on to him. I was afraid to speak, knowing that whatever I tried to say might come out as a squeal of joy. I finally said a said a simple yes, and his face broke out in a wide grin. We just stayed sitting that way, doing nothing but smiling at each other for hours. Finally Jake said that we should both be getting home, though I could tell from his voice that he was disappointed.

He grabbed my hand and led me out to the river, the spot where we normally went our separate ways. He pulled me into a tight hug, lifting my feet off the ground in the process. Then he leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Tomorrow at 6." And without another glance, he let me go and began his walk home. I stood there stunned, my feet having issues remembering how to walk. Finally I gathered the courage and began he walk home.

By the time I had finished going through all of he day's events, I could see the cottage in the distance. I could tell that my parents were having a hushed conversation, but I couldn't make out the words. On the off chance that my father was listening, I said in my mind, _I'm getting closer, so you might want to stop your conversation if it's something I shouldn't hear._

I heard a chuckle from inside the house, and my father said in a pitch loud enough for me to understand, "Don't be silly Nessie. We don't hide things from you."

I could feel my pent up joy from the afternoon bursting out of me, and I danced across the short distance to the cottage and burst in the door. I ran right up to my mother and whispered a, "thank you" in her ear. At first she looked confused, but then I brushed my hand along her face and showed her everything that had happened that day. As she watched, she smiled a bright smile. When she opened her eyes, she had the same expression, though with a bit of sadness and anger in her eyes. I looked over at my father and saw the same expression; he had his crooked smile, but his eyes were tight. I decided not to ask. I was too happy right now to be brought down by their thoughts.

My mother pulled my face toward hers again, looking into my eyes. "I'm so happy for both of you." she said, and I could tell that she meant it. I smiled back, but then I suddenly had a terrifying thought.

"Momma, I have a problem. And I think there is only one person who can solve this," I sighed, remembering horror stories, "Alice."

That night when the rest if my family came home, I walked to the main house in search of my shopaholic aunt. I saw that Jasper was downstairs so I figured it would be alright if I just went up to her room. I knocked and opened the door, finding Alice and Rosalie laying side by side on Alice's bed reading fashion magazines. When Alice saw me, she hopped up immediately.

"Hey Nessie! What's up?" she said with a slight grimace. My aunt was always perturbed by the fact that she had to ask me this to know what was going on. It made her uncomfortable to be blind.

"I need your help." I said, already uncomfortable.

"Sure Nessie, with what?"

"I need an outfit," I began, but paused when both her and Rosalie squealed.

"What for?" Rosalie asked.

"When for? How much will you let us spend?" Alice said.

"What for?" Rosalie repeated.

I hushed them both. "I would really rather you didn't spend anything, but I need an outfit for," I braced myself, "My date."

"What?!" I heard almost the whole house say at once.

"Who asked you out?"

"It's Jacob I assume."

"When is it?"

"Where is he taking you?"

"It is Jacob, right?"

"Of course it's Jake. Who else would I go out with? It's tomorrow night at six, and I don't know where he's taking me." I knew everyone would overreact. At least they were excited.

Alice huffed with annoyance. "Of course he wouldn't tell you, and I can't see what he's doing so I have no idea how to dress you. Great!" I could have laughed at how greatly she cared about outfit, if I wasn't so worried about the same thing myself.

"But you'll help me?" I asked.

"Of course Nessie," Rosalie said. "We'll always help you with whatever, especially if it involves an outfit and makeup."

"It's not just that though," I started timidly. "I don't know the first thing about dating, or being on a date. Will you two help me?"

They shot a look at each other. "I don't know how much we could really help Nessie," Alice started, speaking as if she was measuring each word before she said it. "Vampire dating and human dating can be very… different."

"How so?" I asked, not understanding what they were getting at.

Just then I heard a chuckle from the doorway. I looked up to see my mother walking into the room. "Maybe I should explain the dating experience," she said with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "I wouldn't want the two of you to give her the wrong idea."

"You should talk," Alice said as my mother sat down on the bed. "Miss, 'last human experience'".

I still confused. What were they talking about? My mother looked embarrassed. "Well I've heard stories about you two," she said defensively. "You make me look tame."

"Touché" Rosalie said.

"Well tame is hardly the word I would use." Alice said, continuing the argument. "I may not look, but I can still see."

And suddenly they were all giggling insanely, clutching onto each other for support. I didn't understand. 'Human experience', 'vampire dating', 'the wrong idea', 'tame', I didn't understand. What…

"Oh." I said as I started to blush again. Now I understood. They all looked at my face and broke into new peals of laughter. My mother was the first to calm herself.

"I'm sorry Nessie," she said. "We probably shouldn't talk about this in front of you." But there was a smile on her face and Alice and Rosalie were still chuckling.

I would have changed the subject, but now I was curious. "Why not? I have the brain and body of a sixteen year old. You're really only two years older than me, physically. And I'm curious. I mean, I heard the basic stories about you and dad, but what makes this so funny? Why can't I hear stories?"

They all started laughing. "I'm pretty sure if you heard the real stories about your parents you would invent a new shade of red." Alice said with more giggles.

"Yeah, they were the most lusty virgins I have ever seen in my whole existence." Rosalie said, obviously willing to tell all.

"Rose!" Alice, my mom and I all yelled at once. I could feel the blush rising on my cheeks, but I was also happy that everyone wasn't treating me like a child anymore. I actually found these stories interesting.

"All I'm saying," Rosalie piped up defensively," Is that he was over at her house, in her room, and I think in her bed, every night. And with Charlie just in the other room I might add. So I'm not sure how much you can trust the two of them saying that he was always a perfect gentlemen."

Alice burst into new rounds of giggles, but I stared at my mom who looked like she would blush if she could. "Mom!" I exclaimed.

My mother glared at Rosalie. "Thanks so much Rose. You make me sound like a great vixen in front of my daughter!"

"Oh please don't stop on my account," I said. "Were they really as bad as you say they were, or are you just exaggerating to embarrass her?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at my aunts.

"Oh no," Alice chuckled. "We're not exaggerating. Everyone here took bets on whether or not the two of them would last or spontaneously combust."

This time I heard a deeper chuckle from the doorway. I looked around in surprise. I must have been so engulfed in the conversation that I didn't hear when my father came up.

"I thought she would, too." He said as he came into the room and sat down next to my mother, grabbing her by the waist.

Alice punched him lightly on the shoulder. "You have no right to tease her that way. Unless my vision is faulty, I remember you changing your mind about waiting until marriage almost as much as she did."

Both of my parent's eyes flashed to me and then back to glare at Alice. She merely laughed.

"Nessie's a big girl." She said. "She doesn't honestly believe that a stork dropped her off at our doorstep." My dad playfully leaned over to grab Alice, but she hopped up and danced away, sticking out her tongue.

_She's right you know_. I said in my mind, directing it toward my father. _I like it when you all treat me like an adult_. He raised his eyebrows. _Or at least like a teenager instead of a child_, I amended.

"You'll never be an adult in our eyes Nessie." He said.

Rosalie laughed. "Yeah. Face it, you will forever be the household baby. For eternity." They all began laughing at my obvious discomfort. I changed the subject.

I looked at my parents. "So, what did you guys do for your first date?"

They looked at each other. "It depends on what you want to call our first date." My mother said. "The first planned date, or our first date, which was entirely unplanned."

I thought about it. "Unplanned," I decided. My mother smiled. My father grimaced, which only made my mother laugh.

"He doesn't like the memory of that day very much," she said to me. "He dwells to much on the 'What if'."

He scowled at her. "Of course I do," he said. "That day you could have been…" he trailed off when she put her finger to his lips.

"No, no," she said. "Nessie needs to hear the story from the beginning.

So they told it to me. They told me everything from my mother going dress shopping for her friends, to the men in the street, to my father's gallant rescue, to their dinner at the Italian restraint, to my father confessing what he was and what he could do. I was so mystified by the whole story, the wonderful way they were instantly in love. It reminded me of Jacob and me. The only difference was that for them, it happened all on their own. At the end of the story, my mother smiled at my father and he gave her a quick kiss. But then they turned back to me.

"But really," my mother said," I don't think there is any way for any of us to prepare you for dating. We all had such different experiences, that nothing we say is going to be very helpful."

"It is interesting though. And thank you for talking to me openly, not like a child. It means a lot." I smiled, at them, and my father grabbed my mother's hand and led her away, leaving me to Alice and Rose.

"Okay," Alice said with a gleam in her eye. "Now that we're alone, lets play dress-up!"

Dress up with Alice is an interesting experience. I have heard stories about my mother being, "Bella Barbie", and how my two aunts loved to play, "lets dress up the human". And I heard stories about how much my mother purely hated it. So I guess I inherited it from her. I never really loved playing dress up with my aunts. I knew it was fun for them, so I never said anything, but I would much rather spend my time curled up with a good book, or just sitting and thinking. But on this particular day, I had come to my aunts for help, so I could not act upset.

After two hours of dress up, and make-up practice, my aunts had found me a dress. I loved it. It was a rosy burgundy, which made my hair stand out. It had a combination of a square and heart-shaped neckline, and was short, but not so much so that I was obscene. Alice paired it with a pair of dark tight-like leggings. Overall the outfit looked like the perfect mixture between dressy and casual. I felt as if I could go anywhere from a diner to a fancy restaurant and still fit in. I loved it.

That night, for the first time in I think my whole life, I had issues falling asleep. All I could think about was what was going to happen tomorrow, Where was he taking me? Would he like my dress? Would I make a fool of myself?


End file.
